


Kiss Me First

by torakowalski



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-11
Updated: 2009-05-11
Packaged: 2017-10-02 22:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torakowalski/pseuds/torakowalski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's never really a moment when Merlin *tells* Will about his magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Me First

There's never really a moment when Merlin _tells_ Will about his magic because the two of them grew up together and Merlin has been accidentally bringing toys and cats and mums to them since he was old enough to lift up his hands. There is, however, the first time Merlin shows Will _everything_ he can do which, coincidentally, corresponds with the first time they successfully pilfer a bottle of extra strong pear cider from the blacksmith's private stash.

They're hiding in Will's parent's barn, high up in the rafters where only dust mites and sunbeams can find them, passing the bottle back and forth.

Merlin feels a little strange: lightheaded but warm and sort of sleepy. He mentions this to Will but Will just laughs at him, tells him they've barely drunk any yet. Will's eyes are soft and sleepy when he looks at Merlin though, so Merlin doesn't think he's the only one who's a lightweight.

"Hey," Merlin says, knocking his elbow against Will's and making Will spill some cider down onto his collar. Will glares at him and elbows him back. "Can I tell you something?" He doesn't ask if Will can keep a secret because he already knows he can, but sometimes Will would prefer not to _have_ to keep secrets; Merlin understands that.

Will doesn't look at him and takes a bigger swig of cider than they've been having up to now. "If it's that the baker's daughter has a crush on you, don't bother, I already know."

"You do?" Merlin asks, distracted, "Wait, she does? What?"

Will rolls his eyes. "It's obvious, Merlin," he says in that superior way he's been telling Merlin things since they were seven and he explained to Merlin that no, of _course_ the grass snake in the rafters wasn't talking to him. (Merlin went back later to check, and it actually _was_, but that's not really the point.)

Will only gets grumpy and superior when he's worried about Merlin (talking grass snakes aren't a great sign of mental wellbeing, apparently) but Merlin can't think of anything that's wrong about the baker's daughter liking him. Merlin can't really think of anything much at the moment; he's comfortable and fuzzy and he reaches out until he can grab Will's wrist, pulling Will closer.

"I'm not interested in any girl," he says, partly because he doesn't want Will to be grumpy and partly because it's true. Since they got older, they're always busy doing chores for their parents, helping the village put together King Cendred's ever-growing tithe. They don't get enough time together as it is; Merlin doesn't want some random girl around taking up even more of his spare time.

"You're not?" Will asks. He lets himself be pulled all the way up against Merlin's side, slings a friendly arm around Merlin's neck and puts his head on Merlin's shoulder. It's nice. "What did you want to tell me, then?" Will asks and Merlin jumps; he'd forgotten about talking.

He almost doesn't want to show Will, now, but he does. He holds out one hand between them and whispers the words he found scribbled across the corner of one of the books his mum keeps hidden.

An orb of green flame lights up in his hand, growing to spread just beyond the reach of his fingers. He feels Will's gasp against his collar more than he hears it, and he grins, bouncing the orb a little until it hovers out of his hand, floating slowly over to Will's knees.

"Hey," Will says, starting to scoot back, but Merlin stops him.

"It's okay," he says, "It's not hot."

Will shoots Merlin a look like _that_ isn't what he's freaked out about, but he stops squirming, practically stops breathing when Merlin puts his hand on Will's thigh to make sure he stays.

Will reaches out, touches the orb with his fingertips. He doesn't say anything and Merlin, suddenly unsure, causes it to wink back out of existence.

"Come on," Merlin says, trying to convince himself he's not nervous about Will's reaction. He taps Will on the knee a couple of times. "That's amazing, right?"

"Amazing," Will agrees and then he's kissing Merlin. Merlin is a) sort of stunned that Will can move that fast, b) confused about exactly how Will can taste like sunshine and c) _being kissed_. Wow.

"Mmph," Merlin says against Will's mouth then, "Mphhh," because Will's tongue pushes past Merlin's lips, licking at Merlin's tongue. It sort of tickles and Merlin isn't sure it's even sanitary but it feels, huh, really nice and Merlin opens his mouth wider, hoping that if Will has more room, he'll do something even nicer.

What Will does is pull back, which was not what Merlin wanted. "Is this okay?" Will asks quickly. He's breathing hard and he's flushed all across his cheekbones like he gets when they stay out in the sun all day long. Curious, Merlin touches the red patches and finds them hot under his fingertips.

He didn't mean that as an answer, but apparently it is, because Will kisses him again.

"Wait, what?" Merlin asks except it comes out more _wrrt, wrrt,_ because he doesn't exactly move his mouth away from Will's first.

Will pulls back again and no, Merlin doesn't want that. "We don't have to, if you don't want to," Will says. His eyes are dark and heavy-lidded, sleepy like before and maybe it wasn't sleepiness then either, but he isn't meeting Merlin's eye.

"Right," Merlin says, trying to sound more casual than he feels. "Of course I don't want to stop. Idiot."

It's the right thing to say, absolutely the right thing because Will grins at him, sudden and bright.

It should be strange - Will has been his best friend forever - but instead it's just good. Will's hands are just under the hem of Merlin's tunic, stroking Merlin's hips with his thumbs; the skin across the small of his back is sweaty and smooth and warm. Merlin could do this forever. "I could do this forever," he mumbles into Will's chin because it's a good thought and he feels like sharing it.

Will smiles, looking relaxed like he hasn't since his dad left for the war. "Yeah?" he asks, "I like that idea."

So they do. Or they stay there all afternoon, at least. By the time they climb down from the hayloft, wobbly legged and horny, Will has pieces of straw in his hair and poking out of his collar and Merlin has sore lips, thrumming skin and a brand new secret.

/End


End file.
